1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically changing X-ray films. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an apparatus for automatically replacing an exposed X-ray film accommodated in a cassette with a new or unexposed X-ray film.
2. Description of the Related Art
Films for use in X-ray recording are generally accommodated singly in a flat cassette in order to avoid exposure to ambient light, and are transported and loaded into an X-ray machine in this accommodated state. The cassette generally contains sensitizing paper for the purpose of intensifying the sensitivity of the film.
During examination of a patient, an X-ray machine often needs to be moved to an appropriate position so that an X-ray photograph of the patient can be taken, for example, in a case where the patient should not be moved. In such a case, a cassette which contains a film must be carried to the place where the X-ray machine is set, and after this film has been exposed, the cassette needs to be transported to a film changing apparatus for replacing the exposed film with a new or unexposed film. Although the film itself is relatively light in weight, the cassette is bulky and heavy. Therefore, it is not easy to transport a large number of cassettes at one time. Accordingly, there is a demand for facilitating such an X-ray film handling operation.
To meet this demand, the film changing apparatus needs to be made movable so that it is possible to move it together with an X-ray machine, and it should be possible for X-ray films to be carried in the film changing apparatus and each loaded into a cassette on the actual X-ray recording spot by using the apparatus, thereby reducing the number of cassettes required.
For this reason, a compact automatic film changing apparatus is in demand. Conventional film changing apparatuses, however, occupy an unfavorably large space in the horizontal direction because of the arrangement whereby a cassette is horizontally inserted into the apparatus, and the film is taken out of the cassette also in the horizontal direction. In addition, a typical conventional mechanism for changing films needs to perform both the function of unloading an exposed film from the cassette and the function of loading an unexposed film into the cassette, and to perform these functions a complicated structure of the mechanism is required. Accordingly, it has heretofore been impossible to realize a compact film changing apparatus which satisfies the aforementioned requirements.